Guo Lili, Lu Shixiong, Gou Huimin, Ren Jiaxuan, Yang Juanbo, Zeng Baozhen, Mao Juan, Chen Baihong
College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
Institute of Forestry, Fruits and Floriculture, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
BMC Plant Biol. 2025 Jul 2;25(1):815. doi: 10.1186/s12870-025-06689-2.
Gretchen Hagen 3 (GH3), one of the important auxin-responsive gene families, plays essential roles in plant growth, development process, and stress response by regulating hormone homeostasis. However, the evolutionary analysis of the GH3 gene family in Rosaceae species has not been well-studied and the specifc functions of Fragaria ananassa are not well-documented.
In the current study, 64 members of the GH3 family genes were identifed from five Rosaceae species and divided into 8 groups. According to the comprehensive analysis of evolutionary relationship, collinearity, selection pressure and codon bias, the GH3 gene family was found to be highly conserved across these Rosaceae species, suggesting that purifying selection was a significant force in the evolution of GH3 genes, and the expansion of the GH3 gene family in Rosaceae species might be attributed to fragment duplication. Meanwhile, the codon bias of GH3s in subfamily G and K showed a relatively strong codon bias. Significantly, both FaGH3.17 and FaGH3.18 were localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Additionally, compared with the wild type (WT), the malondialdehyde (MDA) content and relative conductivity of FaGH3.17 and FaGH3.18 transgenic Arabidopsis were decreased, while the superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) activities were increased under drought stress. The above results indicate that overexpression of FaGH3.17 and FaGH3.18 signifcantly enhanced the tolerance to drought in transgenic Arabidopsis.
The study provides crucial insights into the evolution of the GH3 gene family in Rosaceae species and provides a theoretical basis for further investigation on the function of FaGH3s.
格雷琴·哈根3（GH3）是重要的生长素响应基因家族之一，通过调节激素稳态在植物生长、发育过程及胁迫响应中发挥重要作用。然而，蔷薇科物种中GH3基因家族的进化分析尚未得到充分研究，且草莓的具体功能也未得到充分记录。
在本研究中，从5种蔷薇科物种中鉴定出64个GH3家族基因成员，并分为8组。通过对进化关系、共线性、选择压力和密码子偏好性的综合分析，发现GH3基因家族在这些蔷薇科物种中高度保守，表明纯化选择是GH3基因进化中的重要力量，蔷薇科物种中GH3基因家族的扩张可能归因于片段重复。同时，亚家族G和K中GH3s的密码子偏好性表现出相对较强的密码子偏好。值得注意的是，FaGH3.17和FaGH3.18均定位于细胞质和细胞核。此外，与野生型（WT）相比，干旱胁迫下FaGH3.17和FaGH3.18转基因拟南芥的丙二醛（MDA）含量和相对电导率降低，而超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、过氧化物酶（POD）和过氧化氢酶（CAT）活性增加。上述结果表明，FaGH3.17和FaGH3.18的过表达显著增强了转基因拟南芥对干旱的耐受性。
该研究为蔷薇科物种中GH3基因家族的进化提供了关键见解，并为进一步研究FaGH3s的功能提供了理论基础。
